Last Updated on December 8, 2020 by Yuvika Iyer
Ready to detox your home with simple DIY tricks? Start living a toxin-free life with these easy-to-follow clean living tips!
Healthy living can be daunting at times. It signifies incorporating toxin-free elements in every aspect of your life. Nowadays, every product is full of toxic chemicals, from hand soap, shampoo to household cleaners, and detergents.
Incorporating chemical-free products in your daily life requires a great deal of learning, research, and perseverance. But the result is worth the time spent and effort made. Remember, multiple tiny steps result in a big revolution. Start now and set examples for others.
Find our 11 easy-to-follow healthy living tips and follow them to bring positive changes to your life. Switch to toxin-free living and start living a healthy lifestyle by following these simple hacks. Live your best, green lifestyle. #greenliving #healthyliving #cleanliving #toxinfreehome #nontoxichome
1. Add Plants Around Your Home
Develop a green thumb by adding plants in every vacant space of your home. NASA’s study on indoor plants entailed their outstanding ability to eliminate airborne toxins. Place NASA recommended air-purifying plants everywhere in your home and see the difference.
Plants are Mother Nature’s biggest gift to humanity. They remove toxic VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) found in paint, plastic off-gassing, furniture, carpets, rugs, and many more household elements. If you only fill your home with houseplants and do nothing else, it will be sufficient to remove the airborne toxins and keep indoor air clean.
Most of us are afraid of prolonged commitments. We often think, “What if I overwater all my plants and kill them” or “ What if my plant doesn’t grow despite all my efforts.” It’s okay to be apprehensive initially but never let it deter you from your goal.
I recommend you to start small and with the ones easy to maintain and care for. Choose hardy houseplants like peace lily, Spider plant, Bamboo palm, Snake Plant, Pothos, etc. These plants need minimal care and can tolerate diverse conditions. You love them, and they will love you back with their colorful leaves and lush foliage. Slowly you will stop complaining and start embracing newfound love for green living.
NASA recommends keeping at least 14 to 16 plants at home. That’s the ideal number to get indoor air purified naturally. I recommend you keep as many plants as you can and see the magic of “Green Living.”
2. Ditch Artificial Air Fresheners and Candles
Don’t fall prey to the unbelievably sweet aroma. The commercial air fresheners only mask the odor by camouflaging the toxic chemicals in them. The sweet aroma may give you momentary sensory pleasure, but the side effects are harmful to your health.
As the fragrance is short-lasting, you need to keep using it. Read on to know a better alternative and ditch chemical-laden perfumes, candles, and wall plugins. Their enchanting fragrance is often a blend of toxic chemicals that you would otherwise completely avoid using.
The better alternative is to diffuse natural essential oil blends. I recommend using a branded cool mist diffuser with an organic essential oil blend of your choice. Some essential oils like rosemary and tea tree eliminate stale odors and help purify indoor air.
3. Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies
DIY your household cleaning supplies instead of using store-bought ones. Making your home cleaners is way cheaper and simple. Trust me, you will learn a lot in the process, and it will turn out to be super exciting. You can customize your cleaning products with your favorite essential oil blends.
You simply need to get distilled vinegar, lemon, baking soda, a couple of glass spray bottles, and your favorite essential oil blends. Always use glass bottles instead of plastic as essential oils may get spoiled faster in plastic bottles. Glass bottles are ideal for increasing shelf-life of essential oil blends, unlike plastic ones that can leach into natural cleaning supplies reduce the positive effect.
Introduce yourself and your family to all-natural and DIY household cleaning solutions to use everywhere in your home.
The entire process takes minimal effort from your side. You can easily use inexpensive ingredients and save a decent amount of money. Depending on your cleaning frequency, you may have to replenish the bottles with fresh cleaning supplies in a month or two. It’s worth making an effort considering the highly positive outcome. Various scientific studies have proven time and again that toxic chemical-filled cleaning products lead to serious respiratory issues and lung damage.
4. Switch to Non-Toxic Laundry Products
Store-bought fabric softeners, dryer sheets, and detergents typically have lots of toxic chemicals. Just imagine you wash your clothes with these chemical-laden products every day. Your daily wear, towels, bedding, and all other fabrics are smeared in the toxic chemicals and daily touch your body. While washing clothes, these harmful chemicals slowly trickle into the water and cause irreversible damages to Mother Earth.
To avoid health hazards and pollution, I recommend you make laundry detergent with natural ingredients. Did you know that a splash of vinegar works as a natural and zero-chemical fabric softener? You can also buy organic and non-toxic ingredients to make your own detergent.
Try naturally procured wool balls instead of dryer sheets! They are amazing. Add a few balls in every load, and the drying time of your clothes will be significantly reduced. Make it aromatic with a few drops of essential oils, or you may choose to keep it scent-free. Wool balls are long-lasting and will help you save money on your laundry spend.
5. Change Your Air Filter and Get an Air Purifier
Have you recently replaced your air filter? Filter changing frequency will vary depending on your usage, the number of rooms, and family size. Typically you should change the air filter every 30-60 days as per the normal usage pattern.
If your home is typically located near a construction site, your air filter will burn out frequently. If your air filter gets clogged even after deep cleaning, it’s time to change it. You can track how long your air filter is taking to get dirty and accordingly plan its replacement.
You can also plan to buy an air purifier. Look for reliable brands on Amazon and other online shopping websites and choose a decent one for your home. Go for one that tracks humidity, air quality, and temperature in your room or home.
An air purifier will give you an overall idea about your indoor air quality and the possible changes to improve it. After making those changes, you can see if it has improved the air you breathe.
If your house has excess moisture, it can trigger mold infestation. If identifying mold is a challenge, the air purifier’s humidity tracker will help you gauge the build-up moisture level. A sudden rise in humidity level can Speed up the mildew and mold growth.
The build-up of these toxic elements causes respiratory issues. If your air purifier suggests that indoor humidity is high, you need to fix it with a dehumidifier. The ideal indoor humidity level should be between 40% to 50%.
6. Switch to Non-Toxic Cookware
Most of us have a preconceived notion that non-stick or Teflon cookware makes our dish highly delicious. Did you know that the outer coating of these cookwares can leach and blend into your food?
Even those with the “safe to use” or “free of XYZ elements” tag are really not what it claims. We all use cookware daily, so a damaged one needs to be immediately replaced before it poses any health risk. Go for a new one as per your budget instead of using scratched or damaged cookware.
The perfect non-toxic cookware choices are glass, ceramic, stainless steel, copper, and cast iron. Silicon is also considered safe until it’s exposed to high temperatures. Research has yet to prove that silicon remains unaffected under high heat. I use silicon-based utensils to store kitchen ingredients but avoid using them to cook or store piping hot food items.
Stainless steel is the most cost-effective and non-toxic cookware for your daily use. You can search for large varieties on Amazon and choose the one fitting your budget. You will get cookware at varied prices and qualities.
The non-toxic cookware is typically not non-stick. You need to add cooking spray or oil to prevent foods from sticking. These cookwares are ideal for cooking at medium heat as they produce excess heat with copper bottoms.
Wondering what’s so good about stainless steel? It’s low-cost, simple to clean, durable, and low maintenance. But, is it the best you can get? Stainless steel cookware usually comes with an aluminum middle layer as it is not a great heat conductor. The aluminum coating is surrounded by stainless steel and doesn’t let it leach as long your pan is in good condition.
I chose stainless steel cookwares for my kitchen as it was light on my pocket and could withstand my neglect, unlike cast iron. I knew had I bought cast iron cookware and didn’t care for them; they would eventually rust.
Apart from cookware, all other kitchen utensils I use are made of glass. I use mason jars, baking dishes, glass bowls, and storage containers. However, I prefer silicon molds for storing chocolates.
7. Ditch Plastics Around Your Home, Especially in Your Kitchen
Ditch plastic products to stay away from toxins. The simple reason being the plastic leaches into your food. It slowly sneaks into your water and food and decomposes over time. Plastic storage tubs we use to microwave food items can easily leach once exposed to heat.
All types of plastic products are filled with toxins and damaging to the environment. I would recommend switching to nature-friendly alternatives. Store your drinking water in a glass bottle and drink cappuccino in a reusable ceramic or bamboo coffee mug.
Use silicone, bamboo, or stainless plates in place of plastic for your family. Start cooking in eco-friendly bamboo pans and utensils. Metal ones can be easily scratched and damaged by mishandling.
I suggest slowly adapting to plastic-free life by using eco-friendly products. If you regularly heat the plastic utensils and reuse them, very soon, the toxic elements will leach into your favorite food.
Some plastic stuff you can’t avoid in your daily life – like most electronic gadgets. Wherever you can buy eco-friendly and safer alternatives to plastic, go for it. Think of possible options. For example, Can you replace your plastic basket with a wooden or woven one? Buy stainless steel trash can instead of a plastic one? Use a wooden picture frame and glass flower vase?
8. Check Your Cosmetics and Toiletries
The cosmetics, toiletries, body, and skincare products we use everyday induce large amounts of toxins inside our body. You will find different ways to reduce toxins from your body, like using environment-friendly toilet paper, activated charcoal toothpaste, goat-milk soap bars, bamboo toothbrushes, and many more.
From nail polish to hair care and body care, you can find many green beauty brands.
9. Install a Good Water Filter
Having an excellent water purifier is essential for your health. Water, if contaminated, can be life-threatening. If your daily life depends on tap water, you may be consuming tons of toxins and VOCs unknowingly.
VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds like lead, pesticide, or other heavy metal can be deadly if accidentally ingested. A RO+UV water purifier works best to eliminate these toxins and prevent chances of contamination.
The traditional pitcher filters may absorb chlorine and sediments, but they are not sufficient to trap lead and other VOCs. If AMCs or cleaning your filters in every quarter sounds like a tough ask, go for zero-waste options such as activated charcoal sticks.
Dip it inside the battle, and it will eliminate lead, mercury, chlorine, and other hazardous toxins and add vital nutrients like Magnesium. One charcoal stick can last for many months and can be easily reused in your terrace or backyard garden as a deodorizer.
You can alternatively go for store-bought multifunctional water purifiers. Some of these filters purify even 99.99% VOCs, heavy metals, bacteria, and many more water-borne pollutants.
They can be costly but consider this as a one-time investment for the betterment of your health—replaceable filters in this purifier last way longer than other traditional filters. I would say it does a much better job than other filters while purifying the water.
You can also go for heavy-duty water purifiers. They have 50% to 75% more water processing capability than household ones and are ideal for your large family.
10. Use a HEPA Vacuum Cleaner
Your carpet attracts dust mites, molds, dirt, and other airborne toxins. While cleaning it manually or with a vacuum can release microscopic particles in the indoor air. These particles get suspended in the air for a long time and easily sneak into your respiratory system.
To get clean indoor air, you should use a vacuum with built-in HEPA filters. HEPA arrests the allergens and dust particles from rugs and carpets and releases clean and filtered air.
11. Avoid Pesticides and Use Natural Alternatives
Pesticides contain VOCs and are carcinogenic for humans and pets alike. You should cover your mouth and nose while spraying in the backyard or terrace garden and not allow other family members to come out.
Spraying pesticides on indoor plants are trickier. All family members should cover their mouths, including the person spreading the pesticide. The windows should be left open for better air circulation and allowing the VOCs to dissipate.
There are other ways to prevent pest infestation inside your home. For beginners, you should ensure that the little holes are tightly sealed, and plumbing leaks are repaired to avoid the tiny creatures from sneaking inside.
Store your food in an air-tight container and refrigerate them whenever necessary. Never leave the food open for long as it may trigger pest infestation. Thoroughly sweep the kitchen floor, clean the cooktop, kitchen counter, and utensils after cooking. Dispose of uneaten food and unused stuff in a closed-lid trash can to prevent stale air from roaming around the house.
While composting outside, choose a place a little far away from home and not invite unwanted pests as your guests.
What I am recommending here are practical and easy-to-follow steps. But, if it sounds like too much commitment, you can use natural pest repellents as well. The concoction of some potent essential oils and herbs & spices are highly effective in eliminating these bugs.
You can blend geranium, cinnamon, and peppermint oils in a glass spray bottle. Regularly spray it around your doors, windows, and dark corners to keep the pests at bay. These powerful natural solutions counter most bugs, including spider mites. Apply the solution at least once a week to get the desired outcome.
Sprinkling cinnamon and cayenne powder occasionally can rid you of millipedes, spiders, and ants in your home. Apply this around your home, kitchen, bathroom, corners, windows, doors, attics, and terrace to get the desired result.
